Editorials

United against division-downfall of the CAB

Like a bad dream, the issue of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019 is over, at least for now. And amidst all the communal tensions regarding the Naga Framework agreement and other minority related issues, it was indeed a rare occasion to see the people of Manipur in particular and the Northeastern region as a whole fight unitedly against the Bill. The reasons why the CAB was not able to be tabled at the Rajya Shabha can be attributed the collective efforts of the people of Northeast, CVOs and political parties in opposing the Bill. Although they may have opposing views on other issues, it was a clear indication that on the part of the CAB, majority of the people of the Northeast resented the Bill as a threat to the indigenous populations of the region. It is indeed a great and emotional moment for all the people of the northeast region as the voice of the public has prevailed.

Celebrations broke out all across the Northeast on February 14 as the CAB lapsed before it could be ratified by the Rajya Sabha. Taking note of the failure of the BJP-led NDA government to table the CAB in the Rajya Sabha, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma has termed this as a “great moment” for the people of Northeastern region. In the backdrop of the Bill being passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, Conrad has also thanked the leaders of the eleven political parties, CVOs, student bodies, and others for playing a critical role in ensuring that the voice of the people reaches the leadership at different levels. He has also been hailed by many for his bold stand against the Bill which was intended at providing Indian citizenship to all immigrants, with the exception of Muslims, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after a mere seven years of residence even if they do not have any documents.

It might be recalled here that the purported aim of the Bill was to provide shelter on religious reasons to refugees supposedly targeted in their countries; but although on the surface, this might seem like a fine ambition as refugees who desire shelter in India for legitimate reasons should never be turned away.

But this attempt by the BJP is being viewed by many as an attempt to consolidate the Hindu vote bank ahead of the general elections. By introducing a religious test for Indian citizenship, the ruling party sought to pander to its Hindutva support base and thereby prepare grounds for the general election scheduled to be held this year. But in the present form, the CAB is unworthy of becoming an Act as there should be no politics in the passing of legislations that bypass the democratic ideals of India. The relaxation criterion for eligibility of illegal migrants to gain citizenship is unreasonable and the most blatant discrepancy in the Bill is that it categorically states that religious minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh will no longer be treated as illegal immigrants and specifically names six religions, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians while Muslims and Jews have been deliberately kept out of the purview of this bill. Even though some of these religions are also religious minorities in India, it is notable that four of these six religions fall under the ambit of Hindu personal law.

This kind of religious outlook is antithetical to the concept of secularism espoused in the Indian Constitution. Moreover, the provision of relaxing of the criteria of 11 years to six years to gain citizenship by naturalisation for persons belonging to these religious communities makes it tough for persons of other religions, most notably, Islam and Judaism, to enter the fold of Indian citizenship, making it seem like a targeted ousting practice of these particular religions. Take for example, cases of individuals such as Taslima Nasrin who has been living in exile in India since 2005 who have been ousted from the ambit of this Bill; and despite the fact, Nasrin asserts that she is an Indian citizen, the Bill could have make it nearly impossible for her to gain Indian citizenship on the basis of her religion.

However, the most important fact is that the BJP’s myopic politics over the CAB by putting in a sledgehammer religious test for citizenship, only made it harder to pass a citizenship law for refugees in the first place but also harmed India’s secular ethos; and as such the failure of the CAB from being tabled in the Rajya Sabha can be deemed as a victory of secular India versus communal India as the BJP was trying to push the bill despite it being against the constitution. And it has only served to polarise the Northeast and has done nothing to further the legislation’s stated aim of sheltering those fleeing religious persecution from the neighbouring countries.

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